conventional long form: Czech
Republic conventional short form: Czech Republic local long form: Ceska Republika local short form: Ceska Republika

Capital:

Prague. Population: 1.2 million (2007).

Description: The Czech Republic is a landlocked country situated in central
Europe, sharing frontiers with Germany in the west, Poland in the
north, the Slovak Republic in the east and Austria in the south.
Covering only about one-third of the area of the United Kingdom, the
country is hilly and picturesque.

The western two-thirds of the country is known as Bohemia, and
consists of a vast river basin fringed by hills and mountains. The
Czech Republic's longest river, the Labe, rises in the Krkonoše
Mountains in the northeast, on the border with Poland, and flows
south, then west, then north into Germany where it becomes the River
Elbe. These mountains are also home to the country's highest summit,
Sněžka (1,602m/5,262ft).

Location:

Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Area:

78,866 sq km (30,450 sq miles).

Population:

10.2 million (2007 estimate).

Languages:

The official language is Czech. English
and German are also spoken

Climate:

The temperate climate means that winters are cold and summers hot.
Spring and summer have the highest rainfall.

Economy - overview:

Years of stringent state control and public ownership during Soviet
times took its toll on the economy of the former Czechoslovakia, and
caused the economy of the new Czech Republic to flounder and fall into
recession in 1998. Less than a decade later the country is reaping the
benefits of an aggressive reform policy, which included a programme of
mass privatisation (the majority of economic input is now in private
hands) and a major overhaul of the country's financial system.

The Czech Republic's membership of the IMF, World Bank, the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development and, of course, the European
Union, has given the economy a further boost, with the country
strengthening trading relationships within the EU. No longer does it
rely on trade with Russia - instead Germany is its biggest export and
import partner.

The last five years have also seen significant foreign investment in
the Czech Republic. As a result GDP has recorded healthy annual growth
in recent years: 6.4% in 2006 and 6.6% in 2007. Unemployment stands at
4.7% (2008), and inflation 7.1% (2008).

Economy:

Years of stringent state control and public ownership during Soviet
times took its toll on the economy of the former Czechoslovakia, and
caused the economy of the new Czech Republic to flounder and fall into
recession in 1998. Less than a decade later the country is reaping the
benefits of an aggressive reform policy, which included a programme of
mass privatisation (the majority of economic input is now in private
hands) and a major overhaul of the country's financial system.

The Czech Republic's membership of the IMF, World Bank, the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development and, of course, the European
Union, has given the economy a further boost, with the country
strengthening trading relationships within the EU. No longer does it
rely on trade with Russia - instead Germany is its biggest export and
import partner.

The last five years have also seen significant foreign investment in
the Czech Republic. As a result GDP has recorded healthy annual growth
in recent years: 6.4% in 2006 and 6.6% in 2007. Unemployment stands at
4.7% (2008), and inflation 7.1% (2008).